Jaguars head coach Urban Meyer created news for all the wrong reasons with his weekend stay in Ohio. But as Jacksonville gets back to practice for Week Five at 0-4, Meyer feels like there is still plenty within reach for his team.
“The reality is the AFC South is within striking distance,” Meyer said in his Monday press conference, via John Oehser of the team’s website.
While initially, it might sound odd for a coach of a winless team to make that kind of statement, Meyer really isn’t wrong about that. The Titans currently lead the division at 2-2 after their overtime loss to the Jets on Sunday. The Colts and Texans have only one more win than the Jaguars at 1-3.
Meyer has been encouraged by his team’s improvement, which he said was on display in last week’s Thursday loss to Cincinnati.
“This team is a much different team than it was Week One,” Meyer said. “In a tough environment [in Cincinnati], to go up and play like our players played … I was very proud of them. The team’s a much better team than it was Week One. We just have to keep improving.
“The reality is when you turn on the videotape Week One to Week Four it’s a markedly improved team. If we continue to make strides — which young team, new systems, you would expect that. I see it clear as day.”
The Jaguars have displayed some improvement over the last couple of games. But they have yet to put together a complete performance, which is part of why the team is on the verge of becoming just the third team in league history to lose 20 games in a row.
Jacksonville’s last win came in Week One of the 2020 season. The club will play Tennessee on Sunday.